The 42nd Annual Earth Day celebration occurred nationwide on Monday, but CSU East Bay not only chose to recognize the day, but to celebrate it throughout the entire week by educating students and getting them more involved in the festivities.
“We’ve had an Earth Day every year for the past few decades and think it’s time that CSUEB kicked it up a notch,” said Laurel O’Brien, the director of Environmental Affairs Committee at Associated Students Inc. “I thought extending it over the course of a week would really help drive in the points more for students and really inspire students more.”
To kick off the events, the Environmental Committee, along with the Sustainable Earth Club and the Recreation and Wellness Center at CSUEB, informed students about Earth Day through tabling sessions while also encouraging students to pledge and do carbon footprint quizzes.
Other events lined up for students include a bike powered DJ, a recycled art contest, a clothing swap as well as an All Clear Cleanup and a backpacking clinic.
“I’ve been here for five years and not once have I heard about Earth Day,” said David Todorut, founder of the Sustainable Earth Club. “That might be a result of the fact that everyone is here to learn, so during passing period why not learn a little, but also have a little fun. It’s a way to attract individuals to actually care about the earth.”
It seems that preceding the positive feedback from the botanical garden and other sustainability projects created by students through the PEIL grant, the administration at CSUEB is also looking to promote more sustainable efforts throughout the campus, said Professor Michael Lee of the Geology and Environmental Studies Departments.
“The Provost asked us to go ahead with piloting more internship opportunities,” said Lee. “We’ve put together a short list of job opportunities in the form of sustainability assistantships on campus with Facilities Management, different professors and with Student Housing.”
The job descriptions for the assistantships have been created. Now the question is how to publicize the new job opportunities quickly in hopes of getting the most students possible to apply.
“That should go live today or tomorrow. There are up to 19 paid assistantships up to 20 hours a week that will last through the end of the quarter, and will continue at least for the student housing, through exam week, because 10 of those assistantships will be going to do the Campus Move Out Program.”
If these new assistantships are a success, then they will be expanded for the full year next year and encompass more areas on campus said Lee.
“The botanical garden was the beginning of what we’d like to see done on the rest of the campus,” said Lee. “Not all of us like lawn space and I think we have a little too many of them. But, that’s something the campus as a whole has to decide. It can’t just be one person. The idea is to make sure that student funds benefit students.”
CSUEB’s Facilities Management Department also has its own sustainability ideas, such as bring more foods and herbs to the campus community, Lee said.
“By generating an edible campus model where students can literally pick the food on campus and eat it, the campus community is ensuring that student funds benefit students,” said Lee.
